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| Landmark #296 | Calaveras County | Visited: June 27, 2015 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | A plaque in the town of Copperopolis! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: W. K. Reed and Thomas McCarty discovered copper here in 1860. The mines were utilized during the Civil War, when they were the principal copper producing section of the United States, and World Wars I and II.
OTHER TIDBITS: This was a critically important discovery, because by this time, many of the Mother Lode gold mines were running dry! A staunchly pro-North town, Copperopolis included a Union Street, Union Hotel, Union Mine, and Union Bridge in its design! Ore from the copper mines had to be transported by river to San Francisco and sent all the way around the Horn to be smelted and refined on the Atlantic side and in Swansea, Wales! Copperopolis didn’t get its own smelter until the Ames Family from Massachusetts installed one in 1880! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: State Dept of Forestry Station 375 Main St Copperopolis, CA 95228 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~333mi (536km) — 5.6hrs |
| When should I go? | Whenever the mood strikes you! |